Snow

Friday, June 24, 2011

I really hate waiting, more than anything this is directed at communication. Texts, phone calls, emails, tweets, I am accustomed to instant responses. So when it takes time, or I am expecting a call that does not happen, I get anxious, upset, and sometimes angry. I find myself staring at my phone, or my computer screen, waiting for the update, the small bit of communication, with levels of frustration known only to a 4 year old shaking a Christmas present trying to figure out what is inside.

This is directed to everyone. All of you. Respond promptly, when you say you are going to call, or text, or email, DO SO. It is not a difficult idea, just follow through on your commitments. The occasional oops is allowed, but it seems that many people in his world just fail at communication. Please don't be one of them.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Today I began reading a book shared with me by a colleague, though the book nor the colleague are required for the understanding of what I am about to share; I would like to say thank you to Violet and The The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

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Sharing a book with a person is a truly intimate endeavor, you are putting yourself, your feelings, and your happiness on the line, and telling someone that they too will be embiggened by reading this work. When I suggest a book to a person, I consider a few things; the skill of the reader, the nature of their past reading experiences, and most importantly how close to them I want to feel. I say this because I jealously guard the relationships I have formed with some of my favorite authors and books, to allow someone else within that circle, indeed to invite them to join me, is a very intimate act. To date there is but one book that I have never invited any person to share. That book will not be named here, for I am not ready to share it with anyone, yet I found myself just today telling a person how important that book is to me. It was then I realized how significant it is to share books with someone.

To each of you who have ever loaned me a book, encouraged me to find an author, or just enjoyed a good conversation about a work, I thank you for sharing and allowing me to be a part of your circle.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Randomness about words. This is not a complete essay, it has not been proof read even by me, this is just a simple exercise in observation.

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Academic language, 1337 speak, txt msg, thieves' cant; Language is used as a means in which to descriminate, to keep a specific group of people seperate. In some cases it is easy to see the reasons, and desired effects.

Thieves' cant was used in Britain in the 1500's as a way for criminals to discuss crimes, and potential victims in realtive safety. In this case it becomes incredibly easy to see the intended use; to allow conversation that prevented law enforcement and good samaritans from putting a stop to illegal activities. Now Thieves' cant is relegated to fantasy fiction, and role playing games.

Txt msg is a set of rules for abbreviation that are designed to allow rapid communication with minimal risk of the details of the message being descovered by those outside the txt msg world. In many cases this means parents. POS means many things, in many forms of life; in txt msg is means Parent Over Shoulder, signifying that the nature and speed of the conversation will be altered to make it more difficult for the parent to understand or follow the conversation.

1337 speak; a series of number characters and symbols designed to remove the non-computer savvy from the conversation. Many claim that 1337 or LEET speak is used by hackers as a form of communication, yet the majority of this form of conversation is limited to chat rooms and video games. The name is derived from the term elite, taking meaning that the person is of above average skill or ability. Even the name of the language is set in such as way as to cause a separation of people.

While not all inclusive, this list is completed with quite possibly the most disturbing examples of language segregation. Academic Language is by far the worst perpetrator, of intentional segregation, on this list. Attempting to disguise itself a s modicum of normalcy, Academic language achieves a specific goal, keeping the educated and the uneducated distinctly separate. Simple use of language in the academic setting creates a slowly evolving feeling of community; as your time withing academia progresses this level of community, of belonging, grows to a strong feeling of camaraderie amongst the intellectual. While inherently good, this inevitably creates a rift between those that live and grown within academia, and those who never enter its waters.

I have no idea why I am writing about this, I am not up in arms wanting a change in the way things are. I am not asking that academic language change to fit the common vernacular of everyday conversation. I am just asking that we realize what is occurring, and then consider the effects of such events.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

I sat down with the intention of posting in a thread on my guild forums. That thread was a get to know each other thread entitled "Let's Discuss Ourselves!" What began as a simple task turned into a bit of rambling, and ended up being in no where near the direction I was interested in it going. So here it is, my first blog post on a site I feel will never have many followers.

I am 6 days from 29 (at the time of this post.), I am older than most my instructors, and the people that are supposed to be considered my peers are barely gaining the right to legally drink. The bulk of my social circle is in academia and under the age of 25, as such I tend to date young. My last three girlfriends (I hate that title.), have not been old enough to drink. I tell people I am an English Major, but that is the simple explanation, I am a writer, but not the kind most imagine. I am a Composition Theory Major, I study academic writing and the essay. I have a passion for the written word, and several opinions on it that are not necessarily popular. I have ADD, I drink, I game, I write. Yet none of this actually describes me with any meaning. Words on a page are designed to cause a person to think, to analyze, to attempt to understand. Trying to explain a person in simple words suggests that they are capable of being captured in a medium that many have devoted their lives to trying to master, and have fallen to wayside without ever achieving the level of understand they originally sought. So let's try to get this back on topic. I am Andrew D. Snow, I am a writer, a gamer, a lover, and a space cowboy. Pens are amazing, good paper a must; and yet I still cannot write as much as I should. My life is blessed, my journey is fun, I am a Snow, and that is a title more than it is a name. I wear my name with pride, as a badge standing out against the darkness.

About Me

Born in Visalia in 1982. Snow has walked down many different paths that eventually led him to the College of the Sequoias in 2010. Although many people think that the path to where you are in life is what matters, Snow believes it is the destination that is most important. Snow would encourage anyone who needs a good book to pick up Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. So grab your towel and join him for a trip.